


The Cassiopeia Project

by hawthornbrooke



Series: The Cassiopeia Trilogy [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, F/M, Fluff, Gryffindor OC, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Death, Mystery, Not Beta Read, Quidditch, References to Depression, Slow Burn, follows the third book, like very very slow burn, sorry for the bad writing this was made when i was like 16 and dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 20,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21512701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawthornbrooke/pseuds/hawthornbrooke
Summary: Cassiopeia Moore, commonly named Cassie, just lost her mother. At the age of fifteen, she is almost completely alone in the world, and just wants to find her father.With a serial killer on the loose, she enrols Hogwarts, the closest magic school, but nothing had prepared Cassie for what awaited her there.
Relationships: George Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Cassiopeia Trilogy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550830
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, hello everyone! I wrote this like 4 or 5 years ago in Wattpad and I finally decided to post it here. This is the first work of a triology, and I hope you all like it. I apologize though for the bad writing you may find, I have only corrected it superficially, and whenever I have time I will maybe rewrite it.

"We are gathered here to say farewell to Diana Moore and to commit her into the hands of God, our lord and saviour..."

She was sitting in the front row, surrounded by distant relatives who she hadn't seen in years. Her expression was one of grief, and her grey eyes were rimmed with red. Diana Moore wouldn't have wanted that. She wasn't even a catholic, for Merlin's sake. But there they were, a small cluster of people that roughly knew each other, crying for a young woman who had meet her end much earlier than she should.

Cassie hadn't had time to think about it that much. Her mother's death had been unexpected, as she was killed by a muggle driver who went too fast. By the time she arrived at St Mungo's, there was nothing the Healers could do for her, and Diana Moore was declared dead in a matter of hours. Cassiopeia Moore was now practically orphan, with her father disappeared and supposedly dead, so she had to be taken care of until seventeen, the wizarding coming of age; a responsibility that ended upon her uncle David, who was a muggle man in her mid-forties that didn't really pay attention to her.

So, there she was, watching her mother disappear into a square hole in the wall of a graveyard, along with many others surrounding her, forever left to rot there, with the occasional flowers brought by their living relatives. And that was all. The few people that attended the funeral said goodbye to Cassie, hugging her and giving their condolences, and soon it was only her and uncle David, who looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"We should get going."

The fifteen-year-old ignored him, and instead took out her wand and approached the recent niche. David looked alarmed but didn't say anything and watched as his niece carved carefully a single crescent moon in one side of the headstone, small enough to not be noticed at first sight.

She would never see again her mum. She would never smell again that apple pie that only her mother could cook, nor receive any more lessons on magic from her. The warm, characteristic smile of Diana Moore, the liveliest woman she had ever encountered, invaded her mind, and Cassie broke down into sobs.

"I love you, mum." She said in a whisper. "I will never forget you."

And after that final goodbye, the shaking girl followed her uncle out of the graveyard, slowly assimilating that she was now alone, utterly and completely alone.


	2. One

"So, you've never been to Hogwarts before?"

The voice of the girl in the green jumper was shrill and made her cringe every time she spoke. Unfortunately, she had seemed quite happy to sit with the new girl during the train ride to Hogwarts, and was chatting non-stop, first about some escaped criminal, and then about the school itself.

Cassie shook her head, without moving her gaze away from the window. The landscape wasn't remarkably interesting, countless meadows with rain pouring on them, but she'd rather look at it than make visual contact with the blonde girl whose name she had long forgotten.

"Whoa. I had never seen a transfer this old. You're starting fifth year, right?" Cassie nodded. "And you were home-schooled?" Another nod. "I bet it was nothing like Hogwarts. You'll like it a lot better, I'm sure."

Cassie just shrugged, not paying much attention while she played with a strand of her light red hair, her eyes still focused on the dark view out of the window. She had been like that for weeks, almost completely silent and looking unbothered by everything.

"What-"

Her interlocutor made to spoke again but was interrupted by a screeching noise and the train stopping abruptly, which made them both jump from their seats at the sudden change of pace.

None of them said a word, Cassie trying to see what was happening from the window but with little success. Suddenly, another girl came stumbling into the compartment, shooting a weird look at the redhead and then turning to the other girl.

"Emily! I've been looking all over for you. Do you know what's happening?"

'Emily' shook her head briskly, with a scared look in her face, and turned to Cassie.

"Did you see anything out of the window?"

"No."

The lights went out, and two of the three girls yelped.

"I'm guessing this isn't usual." Cassie spoke again, her voice a mixture of boredom and sarcasm.

They stayed silent for a while, not daring to look out of the compartment, as a strange feeling of sadness and hopelessness invaded them. Cassie thought of her mother right away, and how she was alone. She remembered all the summer days she had spent locked up in her room at her uncle's house, while he drank downstairs or just went away without telling anyone. The image of her mother's body at the hospital popped up in her mind, and she started crying uncontrollably, desperate, wishing for it all to end.

Light shone in the compartment, and a light tumble informed them that the train had started rolling again. Cassie got out of her trance and furiously wiped her tears, trying her best to ignore the pitying stares she was receiving from the other two girls.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked boldly.

Cassie didn't answer and got back to looking out of the window.

A tall and stern-looking woman intercepted Cassie the moment she entered the castle and took her to a side corridor hurriedly. She had her hair in a tight bun and looked at the young girl with a severe, but kind of amiable, glint in her eyes.

"Miss Moore, I assume?"

Cassie slowly nodded, not meeting the woman's eyes.

"I'm Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of this school." The woman introduced herself. "Seeing the peculiarity of your case, you must be sorted tonight along with the first years, before the feast. Are you alright with that?"

Cassie nodded again, this time more nervously. The Headmistress looked at her with a hint of sympathy, and ushered the girl towards a small, empty room.

"The first years are on their way. If you wish, you may be sorted before them. Just ask Professor Flitwick when he arrives, and he shall tell you what to do." McGonagall informed her. "Now, I have other business to tend to. Good luck."

The door was shut, and Cassie found herself alone in that small, poorly lit, space. However, it didn't take too long for the eleven-year-olds to arrive, preceded by a small man that must be Professor Flitwick. He guided them towards the Great Hall, where dozens of students already were sat on their respective tables, chatting happily with their mates, and listened good-naturedly to Cassie's request to be first, positioning her at the front of the queue.

While the chatter that flooded the hall died down, Cassie thought about her knowledge of Hogwarts. The enchanted ceiling had taken her by surprise – she had heard about it in her mother's stories, but had never imagined it being so beautiful and realistic. Of course, Cassie was also aware of the existence of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Diana had belonged to Hufflepuff, the house for the hard-working, kind-hearted students, and she fit exactly there. However, Cassie didn't really know what house hers would be. Was there a house for depressed people?

"Moore, Cassiopeia!" The professor shouted, reading from a piece of parchment once the students had shut up.

Feeling slightly nauseous, Cassie made her way towards the hat that rested atop of a wooden stool and put it on her head, trying her best to ignore the surprised murmurs that travelled between the students. All the eyes in the hall were fixated on the girl that had started Hogwarts so late.

_Interesting... very interesting..._

The hat's voice resonated inside of her head, making the girl jump a little.

_A lot of suffering I see... but also kindness, clearly the daughter of Diana Moore. You'd do well in Hufflepuff, but I don't think that would be the right place for you. Quite bright as well, but not too worried about classes or ambitions... that would put Ravenclaw and Slytherin off. I see potential, and bravery, just like your father, which leaves us with... GRYFFINDOR!_

Applauses resonated all over the Great Hall, with loud cheers coming from one table in particular, the one Cassie was walking towards. She sat down next to a girl with dreadlocks that patted her in the back enthusiastically, feeling a bit dizzy while the mention of her mother swam around in her head, but the fast-speaking girl made her forget all that momentarily.

"Angelina Johnson." She introduced herself, the sorting still going on. "Transfer student?"

Cassie took a little bit to process the question.

"Home-schooled, actually." She simply said.

Angelina nodded understandingly and stood up to cheer and clap for a first year that had just made it into Gryffindor.

"What year are you in?" She asked when she sat down again.

"Fifth."

"How come they let you join that late?" Curiosity was patent on Angelina's eyes but, for some reason, the questions didn't feel like a nuisance to Cassie.

The red-headed girl just shrugged, boring her eyes into the wooden table.

"I wrote Dumbledore a letter. He made me pass a simple fourth year exam to see my level of education and admitted me here."

Another first year was sorted into Gryffindor, so everyone stood up and cheered once again. Cassie felt slightly out of place, not knowing what to do. Angelina seemed temporarily satisfied with her questions, so she proceeded to point out everyone she was friends with.

"That over there is Alicia Spinnet." She said, pointing to a brown-skinned girl who was chatting animatedly with a blonde one near them. "And the girl next to her is Katie Bell. She is a fourth year, and a fellow teammate. You play Quidditch, right?"

Cassie shook her head. Following Angelina's fast words was a little bit difficult, but she felt her mind getting clearer as she focused on who seemed to be her newest friend.

"I don't think I've ever been on a broom." She answered.

"We'll get to that later." Angelina resolved. "That is Lee Jordan." She continued, this time pointing to a guy with wild hair that was dissolving into fits of laughter at that moment. "And right next to him... Fred and George Weasley. They're the funniest people I know, but they like to prank people, especially newbies, so I'd be a little careful around them for now."

Cassie smiled slightly, appreciating her help. The two boys Angelina had pointed at were twins, an exact copy of each other with fiery red hair and mischievous looks on both their faces. She couldn't hear them fully from where she stood, but it looked like one of them was telling some sort of joke that made Lee Jordan laugh even harder.

"I think I'll take your advice." She said softly, not tearing her eyes from them. One of the twins looked their way and sent them a wink, which made Angelina smile fondly.

"I've known them for five years and I still have a bit of trouble telling them apart. I'd bet that was Fred." She commented airily with a small laugh. "Anyways, let's continue..."

She was interrupted then by a murmur that quickly spread among the students of the different houses. The sorting had just finished, and as Flitwick made his way out with the stool and the hat, Professor McGonagall entered the hall, shortly followed by a boy and a girl dressed in scarlet rimmed robes.

"Who are they?" Cassie inquired, trying to see them better. Unfortunately, they sat too far away for her to see anything.

"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger." Angelina informed, smirking. "You must know at least one of them."

Cassie's eyes widened, and she tried to get a better look at the boy who survived the deadly curse. Angelina chuckled, watching her newfound friend's surprise.

"You'll get a lot of him this year, I assure you. He's a nice guy, though he always manages to get himself and the rest of the school in danger."

A look of curiosity appeared on the redhead's face, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she dug in the food that had just appeared, serving herself some mashed potatoes and roasted beef.

Angelina spent most of the feast telling her things about the castle, the teachers and Quidditch. Cassie did her best to soak everything in, not wanting to be left behind in anything, and started trusting the dark-skinned girl little by little, happy to be listening rather than talking. When supper ended, she followed her new housemates to the Gryffindor Tower, where she learned that, in order to access the common room, she had to give a certain password to the portrait of the Fat Lady guarding the entrance. Then, Angelina showed her the girls' dorms, which they shared with another three girls, and she quickly undressed and went to bed, dreadfully tired from the trip.

Nightmares didn't plague her sleep that night.


	3. Two

The sun shone brightly through the dorm's curtains when Cassie woke up. None of her dormmates was awake yet, so she dressed up as quietly as she could in the bathroom and went downstairs, to the Gryffindor common room, with her Transfiguration book in hand.

Turned out, it was seven o'clock in the morning, so almost everyone was still fast asleep and there were still two hours until the first class. Cassie made the most of the deserted room, reading peacefully as her fellow housemates started waking up and going to breakfast. Hardly anyone spared a second glance towards the weird girl reading a Transfiguration book the first day of school at almost eight in the morning, and she was thankful for that, because that allowed her to immerse herself in the book and forget reality for a while.

"Hey, new girl! Moore, isn't it?"

Cassie almost jumped from her seat, having not noticed the two red-headed boys approaching her from the boys' staircase.

"Hi." She answered shyly, not looking up from her book.

"Look at that, George, she's already studying!" Exclaimed one of them, feigning horror at the Transfiguration book. The other, George, put on a fake grimace, causing Cassie to blush furiously.

"You guys leave her alone." Angelina intervened, having just stepped into the common room followed by Alicia Spinnet, who was also their dormmate.

Fred and George snickered and backed out from the scene, leaving for breakfast. Angelina and Alicia approached Cassie, who was still a bit red, but smiling slightly at the sight of the two girls.

"Good morning." She said politely, and both girls smiled.

"I don't think we had the chance to meet last night. I'm Alicia." Said the chaser, smiling and stretching out her hand.

Cassie shook Alicia's hand, smiling a bit broader.

"How about we go for breakfast?" Suggested Angelina, and Cassie's stomach growled in agreement, causing the girls' laughter.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, it was already past eight, which meant that everyone was having breakfast at the time. Cassie sat next to the two girls and in front of the Weasley twins, who were goofing around with a strip of bacon. A tiny smile appeared on the corner of her lips when one of them smacked the other on the face with it.

The quiet girl picked up some scrambled eggs while Angelina and Alice argued about who would win in a muggle fight; Snape or Filch. Snape was their Potions teacher, as Angelina had told her the day before, and he was known for his favouritism towards the Slytherins. Cassie briefly glanced at him, sitting at the teacher's table with a cold expression, and decided that it would be best not to cross him. Thankfully, she wasn't bad at Potions, which had been her mother's favourite subject.

"I mean, Snape looks kind of like a twig underneath all those black robes." Alicia commented, munching on her cereal. Angelina stifled a laugh.

"But Filch is old, as in, a bad kind of old." The latter argued. Cassie arched both eyebrows.

"Who's Filch?" She asked.

The Weasley twins suddenly stopped eating and looked directly at her, a serious expression in both faces.

"Who's Filch?!" Said the one in front of Angelina.

"He's like, our hero!" The other exclaimed.

"We love him dearly."

Cassie didn't understand why her friends looked like they were ready to burst out laughing, until Alicia spoke again.

"He's the caretaker." She explained. "Fred and George _love_ to mess with him."

"Oh."

The two redheads started laughing then, a smirk on their faces, and one of them threw a bit of bread at Angelina, startling her.

"Fred! You git!" The dark-skinned girl complained.

"Watch your mouth, Johnson."

A foreign voice intervened then, making Cassie jump a little, since the source was right behind her. She turned slowly around, facing a burly boy that seemed to be a sixth or seventh year. Although Cassie had never seen him before, it looked as if Angelina and Alicia knew him well, suddenly smiling brightly at him

"Hey there Oliver! How's our favourite Captain doing?" Alicia greeted him happily.

"Stressed. This year is our last chance to win the Cup and..." He answered, looking positively tense. Angelina cut him off before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

"We'll win the Cup, don't fret too much about it." She assured. Oliver gave her a quick smile and then excused himself, going to sit with some other seventh years at the end of the Gryffindor table.

Cassie watched him go and then turned to the two girls, questioningly. Alicia was still smiling and looked like she was daydreaming.

"That was Oliver Wood." Said Angelina. "Captain of the Quidditch team."

"Don't tell him you don't know anything about quidditch or he won't leave you alone for days." Interjected Fred, who had been listening to the brief conversation. The two chasers laughed, and Cassie half-smiled.

"Also, Alicia is totally in looove with him." George added, pulling on a kissing face. Angelina laughed harder, as Alicia went red and Cassie looked at her, half sympathetically, half amusedly.

Professor McGonagall passed by then, handing out their timetables. Cassie quickly compared hers with Angelina and Alicia's, and the three of them grinned when they saw that they had Charms with Ravenclaw on their first period. She was also taking Transfiguration, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes. There were a lot of subjects, and Cassie was grateful to her mother for having taught her so many things during their home-school sessions so she could keep up to Hogwarts' level. A sad smile danced on her lips as she walked beside her new friends to their Charms lesson.  
  


The first week at Hogwarts went by in a blur, and Cassie found herself smiling sincerely many times, something that had not occurred often since her mother's death. Hogwarts was full of surprise, and the beautiful architecture of the castle never ceased to amaze her. Angelina and Alicia had soon become very close to her, the three girls going together almost everywhere, and Lee, Fred and George were always around, ready to tell her a joke or openly talk about their future pranks. The house of Gryffindor didn't seem too bad either, everyone was nice enough and willing to explain her the things she didn't know about the castle, especially Percy Weasley, older brother of the twins and Head Boy, who wouldn't shut up about the rules they had to follow.

Friday morning, they had their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, DADA for short. Professor Lupin imparted that class, and everyone was talking big about him. Cassie had only seen him a couple of times in the Great Hall; he looked dishevelled, but kind, and, after hearing her housemates' stories about the last few DADA teachers, she wished he was as good as everyone said.

When they arrived at the classroom, Professor Lupin was already waiting for them inside, calmly reading through the textbook. The Gryffindors and the Slytherins entered the room silently, and Cassie sat in the second row with one of her dormmates, Patricia Stimpson, with whom she hadn't really had the chance to talk yet.

"You won't need your books today." The teacher said, closing the door with a wave of his wand.

There were surprised murmurs between the students as they put away their books. In the last row, the Weasley twins beamed.

"First of all, I'm Professor Remus Lupin, and I will be imparting Defence Against the Dark Arts for the year." He introduced himself. "Now, I'm going to call the roll, so just say 'here' when your name is called."

As Lupin mentioned the names in alphabetic order, Cassie took her time to look at her classmates. She barely knew half of them but noticed that two of the Slytherins were the blonde girl that had seated with her at the Hogwarts Express and her friend. Cassie couldn't remember her name, but she wasn't interested in making friends with them girl either.

"Moore, Cassiopeia." Professor Lupin called.

Cassie turned to look at him, taken aback by his surprised face. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until she remembered she had to answer.

"Here."

The teacher continued going down the list but kept sending brief glances her way every now and then. Sitting in the table at her right, Angelina and Alicia looked at her as well, questioningly. Cassie just shrugged, not knowing what was going on either.

When the last person was called (Weasley, George), the Professor folded the parchment and put it away, taking out his wand. He told them about counter-spells and counter-jinxes and had them practising _Finite Incantatem_ and _Finite_ the whole hour, as revision for the OWLS. At the end of the hour, Cassie had completely mastered both counter-spells, effectively liberating Patricia Stimpson of all jinxes and spells she was put under. Finally, the bell signalling the end of the class rang and everyone hurried out of the room, eager to eat lunch.

However, Professor Lupin had other plans for Cassie.

"Miss Moore." He called while she gathered up her things. "I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

Cassie nervously picked up her bag and approached his table, almost everyone had already left. Angelina and Alicia waited for her at the door, but she gestured them to leave.

"Yes?" She asked shyly.

"It's nothing important, I just had to ask you something." Lupin said reassuringly. He paused for a second, and then spoke again. "Your mother... was she Diana Moore?"

Cassie's eyes welled up with tears.

"Yes."

Lupin looked profoundly sad, and he shot Cassie a sympathetic look.

"Did you know her, Professor?" The girl inquired, feeling the words choke on her throat.

"We were in the same year here at Hogwarts." He answered vaguely. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Cassie nodded, a single tear rolling down her cheek, and excused herself from the classroom. She no longer had the desire to have lunch, she'd rather be alone. Memories of her mother flooded her brain, and she broke down crying in the middle of the almost deserted corridor, not caring if someone saw the crumbling mess she was.

Everything just felt so unfair, and she was so alone...  
  



	4. Three

"Black's been sighted!"

The sudden cry made all the Gryffindors turn their heads towards a nervous-looking third year. Angelina and Alicia rushed to see what was all that about, while Cassie ate her scrambled eggs numbly, not really caring about what happened. However, her breakfast was soon interrupted by a tawny owl landing just in front of her, with a piece of parchment attached to its leg.

"What's that about?" Cassie wondered out loud, untying the string in the owl's leg.

The letter was concise, written in neat handwriting that left no room for misunderstandings.

_Meet me at eleven o'clock in my office._

_Professor Lupin._

Cassie stared at it, dumbfounded. Why would Lupin want to meet her at his office on a Saturday morning? Had she done something bad? Maybe he wanted to talk more about her mother, ask about her death or something, but it was still weird. She pondered not going for a second but decided against it. Professor Lupin seemed kind, and she trusted him not to hurt her in any way purposely.

"Hey, Cassie, take a look at this."

Angelina's voice took her out of her trance, and she turned to see a newspaper laid on the table, with a big picture of a man covering almost all the cover. In bold letters, the title read _Black sighted_ , and proceeded to explain how a muggle had seen the fugitive not far from Hogwarts, but the aurors had arrived too late.

"This is that Azkaban escapee, right?" Cassie asked, looking briefly at her friend. Angelina nodded.

"Yes. He's the first one that manages to get out." She answered, shuddering. "I wouldn't want to go there."

Cassie agreed silently, remembering everything her mother had explained about dementors and their power. She looked at the moving picture of Sirius Black once again, studying him.

He had long, messy black hair, and a sunken face. She would have thought he was a corpse, if it weren't for his deep grey eyes, that had a hint of life in them. Black looked positively mad while screaming at the camera. Still, Cassie couldn't help but feel a smidge of empathy. That man looked so familiar to her...

A foggy memory popped up in her head, her mother's presence on it, but went away as soon as it came.

"Scary, isn't him?" Said one of the Weasley twins, who had been reading over her shoulder while she was absorbed in her thoughts.

Cassie jumped a little and turned to look at them, shrugging.

"I guess."

⁕⁕⁕

At eleven o'clock, Cassie stood in front of Professor Lupin's doorway. She hadn't really told anyone about it, keeping it for herself to muse about. Her hand raised almost on its own accord and knocked twice on the wooden door, her breath hitching when she heard the calm voice in the other side.

"Come in."

Professor Lupin's office was luminous and simple, with wooden furniture and few decorations. The teacher stood next to the window, contemplating the castle grounds where a handful of students were doing various activities. Cassie closed the door slowly and stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Tea?"

She nodded and sat down in the chair that awaited her. The Professor tapped the kettle with his wand and then sat in front of her, looking slightly concerned.

"You may be aware of the situation we're living currently." He started. Cassie nodded again. "With Sirius Black in the run, every bit of information is crucial."

"I don't know anything about Black, sir." Cassie interrupted nervously. Why was Lupin asking her those questions? Black couldn't possibly have anything to do with her.

Professor Lupin looked strangely relieved, sparking even more Cassie's suspicion. There was something she was missing out on.

"It was just a routine question, Miss Moore." He tried to explain, seeing the obvious discomfort and suspicion in the girl's face. "We're making sure none of the students hide anything from us."

Cassie still didn't believe him fully, but let it slide for the moment. She took a sip from her tea cup and looked directly at the man in front of her. He always appeared exhausted, and too old for his actual age. If he had gone to school with her mother, that must mean that he was at least thirty-three years old; but he looked many more, with greying hair and all.

The redhead was pondering if she should go or not, when a new inquiry popped up in her brain. It was a bit personal, and maybe too out there, but she _had_ to ask him.

"Professor Lupin."

"Yes?"

"You knew my mother, right?"

His demeanour turned tense, and he nodded. Sadness was written all over his face, and that was what drove Cassie to ask him.

"Why didn't you go to the funeral?"

Lupin was clearly taken aback, as he wasn't expecting that question at all, but answered nonetheless.

"I wasn't invited."

His voice trembled the slightest bit.

"We invited all her friends. Aunt Rose oversaw that." Cassie insisted. Lupin shook his head.

"I knew Rose Moore. She didn't exactly like me... or my friends, for that matter." He disclosed, his voice almost a whisper. Cassie bit her lip, nervous, and a memory flashed in her mind.

"Mum always said she didn't like dad either." She mused, lost in thought. Another question then hit her, hard.

"Did you know my father?"

Professor Lupin refused to meet her gaze, busying himself with the almost finished cup of tea.

"I thought I did."

An uncomfortable silence settled in, so Cassie bid goodbye and awkwardly left the office without further ado. In her mind, thousands of thoughts swirled around, and she tried to remember everything she could about her father.

As she walked down the halls towards the common room, Cassie tried to picture at least her father's face, to no avail. He had supposedly disappeared when she was three years old, and her mother never talked about him. They hadn't married because of their young age, so the man's last name was also unknown to her. There was no way of knowing who it was... unless she asked aunt Rose.

Her aunt Rose was the only one apart from her mom that had been gifted with magic in the Moore household. They were five siblings, all with muggle ancestors, so the presence of two witches in the family was quite the event. She was two years younger than Diana, and had gone to Ravenclaw, unlike her sister, who was a Hufflepuff. Rose had always been more serious and judgemental than her older sister, and the only thing Cassie really knew about their relationship was that she had never approved of Diana having a baby at the age of eighteen. She didn't like Cassie's dad either, and only had nasty words when asked about him, so she had soon lost interest in that. If her dad had been a bad man, she didn't want to know it.

However, the blatant lie of Professor Lupin had sparked her interest again. He had obviously known her father, but he didn't want to talk about it, so Cassie had to investigate by pushing her living relatives a bit more until they gave in.

She was determined to find out the truth about her father, whether it was good or bad. Somehow, at the very bottom of her heart rested a faint hope, a desire to know if he still was around.


	5. Four

The library was crowded with students when Cassie arrived. Angelina was waiting for her at a table not far from the Potions section, which they needed to consult. They were working on an essay for Snape, who didn't seem to be in a good mood, as it was three pages long.

"Rumour says that Professor Lupin somehow ridiculed Snape in front of his whole third-year class." Angelina whispered as soon as her friend sat down.

Cassie's eyebrows shot up in surprise, leaning in to avoid being heard by Madam Pince.

"How?"

"Apparently something to do with a boggart and someone's grandmother." The chaser explained, sucking on the tip of her quill. "I'd pay to see that, to be honest."

Her friend nodded in agreement, stifling a small laugh. Snape was her least favourite teacher, and she didn't understand how he hadn't been fired yet for bullying students. He was the worst with Gryffindors, and Cassie hadn't been the exception to that. Luckily, she wasn't that bad at Potions, so he didn't have much to scowl at.

"What's the book we need again?" She asked, standing up.

Angelina shrugged.

"I don't know. Something about the Draught of Peace I think."

"Way to go." Cassie snickered. Angelina shot her a cheeky grin and went back to her work.

Almost two hours later, the two girls were still working on their essays. Cassie had managed to make her way halfway through, but Angelina was stuck in one of the first paragraphs.

"I think I'm going to have dinner and I'll deal with this later." The braided girl announced, supressing a yawn. "You coming?"

Cassie pondered for a moment but decided against the idea.

"I don't think so, maybe I'll go when I finish this."

"See you in ten years then." Angelina joked, making Cassie chuckle lightly.

After she left, the red-headed girl continued working her way through the essay, unaware of the passing of time. Soon, she was the only student still in the library, or so she thought.

"Skipping meals isn't good for your health, Moore."

Startled, Cassie dropped her quill, leaving ink stains all over the parchment she was writing on. In front of her was one of the Weasley twins, a book under his arm and a mischievous smile on his freckled face.

"I have to finish this." She grumbled, trying to go back to her essay, but to no avail, as the boy snatched it from her hands and read it quickly, arching an eyebrow.

"Potions, huh?" He snickered. "Didn't know we had homework."

"Stop it." The girl looked around them, suddenly realising they were the only two people in the area. "Where is your brother?"

He smirked again, half-sitting in one corner of the wooden table.

"Ronald?" His face contorted into a fake thoughtful expression. "Having dinner, I suppose."

Cassie sighed in annoyance.

"Your _twin_ brother."

The boy chuckled again, playing with a quill he had stolen from her bag.

"Why would you want to know that? You fancy him?"

Cassie sighed again, crossing her arms.

"I can't even tell you apart half of the time, let alone fancy one of you."

"Fine, fine. I'm George." He held out his hand. "George Weasley, nice to meet you."

She slapped his arm, grinning lightly at the goofiness of his fellow housemate, and tried once again to go back to work. George sat down properly in front of her and opened the book he was carrying. However, instead of reading it, he observed the girl discreetly. Cassie had messy light red hair that stopped past her shoulders, a small nose and stormy grey eyes. Her face, usually serious and impenetrable, was contorted into a focused expression, with her eyebrows furrowed and her nose scrunched. He noticed that she had a small spot of ink in her nose, probably after all the writing she had been doing, and that her eyes, usually sad and mysterious, were tired and slightly red.

"Aren't you going to dinner either?" She inquired suddenly, startling him.

"Nah." He simply said, turning back to his book and feeling a blush creeping up his ears.

Cassie looked at him with curiosity and started gathering her things.

"Finally." She murmured, carefully rolling the scroll she had been working so hard on.

"Dinner's over by now." George stated, glancing at the clock that hung in the wall near them.

"I'm not hungry."

"Your rumbling stomach doesn't agree with you."

Cassie reddened and picked up her bag, hoisting it over her shoulder.

"C'mon."

Not knowing exactly why, Cassie followed him out of the library. The corridor was deserted, but the faint voices of students leaving the Great Hall could be heard in the distance. George seemed to know exactly where he was going, but she felt the need to question his behaviour nevertheless.

"So," She started, "what exactly were _you_ doing at the library? I didn't know you were aware of its existence."

George laughed heartily and put an innocent face, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Fred and I needed a Charms book. We don't get our pranks' knowledge out of thin air, you know."

"I see." She still wasn't satisfied. "What are you two planning?"

"You'll see." He said mysteriously.

They walked silently for a while, passing by small groups of Ravenclaws that were making their way up to their tower.

"Where are we going?" Cassie asked, noticing that they were in the first floor and still descending. George's eyes twinkled.

"You ask too many questions, Moore."

Turns out, he was leading her towards the kitchens. As soon as they stepped through the door, a dozen of house-elves was already asking to serve them, in their high-pitched voices. Cassie humbly asked for whatever leftovers they had from dinner, while George scarfed down a plate full of roasted meat with mashed potatoes. They even got to carry some sweets to their common room, as a gift from the elves, and left the place smiling and laughing.

"Those elves really cheer you up." Cassie mentioned, her cheeks sore from all the smiling. "I hadn't been that happy in months."

"How so?"

Her face quickly abandoned all trace of happiness, and she felt a knot forming in her throat when she tried to speak again.

"I-I don't know if I want to talk about it." She responded, almost whispering.

George glanced sympathetically at her.

"It's alright." He said softly. "I'm sorry."

Cassie nodded, and they both continued their path in silence, only biding each other goodbye when they reached the dorms' stairs.  
  



	6. Five

October started with cold wind and wet days, dampening Cassie's mood even more. Her only two friends, Angelina and Alicia, were busy with quidditch and studying, so she had a lot of time alone to think about everything.

A few days after the meeting with Lupin, she had written her aunt Rose with hopes of getting an answer about her father, but the reply had been short and negative, which had sent Cassie back to the beginning: not knowing anything about that mysterious man and with no clue to start investigating. The idea of asking the Professor again had crossed her mind a couple of times since, but she was too afraid to ask him. The man was friendly enough, but she didn't want to push him too far.

However, two weeks into October a notice appeared in the Gryffindor common room. Apparently, they were allowed to visit a small town nearby the last weekend of the month, which made all students in third year and over buzz with excitement.

"What's it?" Asked Angelina as soon as she entered the room, coming from her Quidditch practice covered in mud.

"Hogsmeade weekend." Cassie answered, not looking up from the Charms book she was reading next to the fireplace.

Angelina beamed and, followed by Alicia, sat down in the same couch as her, leaving bits of dirt everywhere.

"Ew." Said Cassie, realising how dirty her friends were. "Was it a quidditch practice or a bath in the mud?"

Both girls laughed while their friend tried to clean the mud stains with magic.

"Blame Fred." Explained Alicia. "He started a fight, we followed and lost."

Cassie arched her eyebrows, but smirked.

"Sounds fun."

"You should come sometime." Angelina suggested, wiggling her eyebrows. "Who knows, you might like it."

"Yeah, right."

Turns out, Quidditch practice wasn't that bad. After some pestering from Angelina, Alicia and the twins, Cassie caved and ended up seated in the bleachers a brisk evening in late October. She was in a very good mood that day, so she cheered over-enthusiastically when any of the chasers scored a goal, shouted inappropriate things at Angelina when she flew by and mocked Fred and George whenever they missed a bludger. It was fun to see them, almost as if she was witnessing a match orchestrated just for her.

"Had fun over there?" Alicia asked when practice ended, smiling tiredly.

Cassie faked indifference, leaning against one of the dressing rooms' wall and trying to hide a smile not very successfully.

"Fancy a ride, Moore?" One of the beaters called, still on his broom. Thankfully, he was wearing his uniform, so Cassie knew he was George.

"I think I'll pass, near-death experiences aren't really my thing." She chuckled, trying to wave them off nonchalantly.

"Come on Moore, I'm sure you'll like it." Fred intervened, hovering above her. Cassie arched her eyebrows.

"How so?"

"I bet you five sickles." He insisted, grinning broadly. George mimicked him, landing next to the girl.

Cassie considered the offer for a moment, weighting pros and cons. She was in such a good mood, that she allowed herself to blow away the bad thoughts creeping at the back of her head.

"I'll take that offer." She finally agreed.

George quickly taught her how to climb onto a broom without falling, and the proper way of steading herself while they hovered a few feet above the grass. The rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team watched, including Oliver Wood, with mild interest, as they started going up in the air.

"I don't think I'm liking this that much." Cassie's voice was laced with fear, but George just chuckled.

"Hold onto me, I promise you won't fall."

Obediently, she put her arms around his waist, trying not to think too much about how close they were, and how comfortable his back felt. They started flying faster, until he sprinted, and a shriek of surprise left Cassie's throat. She gripped George's waist tighter, closing her eyes and feeling a little bit dizzy. The wind swirled around them, caressing her cheeks and tangling her hair, somehow calming her down. It was pleasant, she thought, resting her head in George's back and smiling. Cassie hadn't felt that calm in months. It was as if all her worries had been left in the ground, and she could momentarily fly away from them.

"Are you okay?"

Cassie hummed in confirmation, and George was satisfied. They did a few laps more and finally descended. When the girl stood on the grass again, her legs were shaking, but her face was happy.

"It wasn't that bad." She conceded, flashing a quick smile at George.

"Knew it!" Yelled Fred, pumping the air with his fist. "Five sickles, please."

Cassie stuck out her tongue at him in a childish manner but handed out the coins anyways. The rest of the team was already in the changing rooms, eager to get to the comfort of the fire in the common room, and the three of them followed, chatting away happily.

⁕⁕⁕

Halloween's day greeted them with cold wind and no rain, unlike the previous weeks. Some other day, this would've been enough for Cassie to think it would be a pretty decent morning, but that was not the case.

She had known it was going to happen since the start of the week but had refused to admit it to herself. Every once in a while, Cassie would experience one of those episodes where she couldn't get out of bed and everything felt numb. Nothing felt like it was worth it, and, overall, she felt like a failure. The amount of stress that fifth-year conveyed didn't help much either.

So that's how she had ended up lying in bed and staring at the ceiling for a solid three hours, only getting out of bed to go to the toilet. Angelina and Alicia had tried to convince her to go to Hogsmeade with them in vain, as Cassie had refused every time, no matter if it was the only opportunity to exit the castle that they would have in weeks. All of that seemed hollow and worthless at the time.

After a while, she decided to go for a walk. Few people would be roaming the halls, so she could get a chance of strolling without a destination. With great effort, she abandoned her comfortable bed and buttoned up the scarlet and black robes over some sweatpants and an old jumper. No one except for some first and second years would see her.

However, things don't usually go as one plans them to. As soon as Cassie stepped into the DADA corridor, a door slowly creaked open, and a warm voice reached her.

"Cassiopeia? What are you doing here?"

It was, of course, Professor Lupin.

She turned around slowly, trying to keep her face neutral. The man was looking at her with interest, and with a quick movement, invited her to go into his office.

"I was just talking to Harry." He mentioned, Cassie standing awkwardly next to the door. "You know him, right?"

"Never talked to him."

"You should. You two have things in common."

Cassie only half-listened while the teacher went on a rant about some creature he would show them in the next class, her mind somewhere else. What could she possibly have in common with Harry Potter, the boy who had defeated Voldemort when he was just a baby?


	7. Six

Sunlight flooded the Great Hall, giving it a golden and magical shine that made every student that was already up look around in wonder. The floor was filled with sleeping bags, and many of their occupants were waking up at that precise moment, overflowing the hall with whispers and chatter about the events of last night. Apparently, Sirius Black had somehow broke into the castle and done some damage to the Fat's Lady portrait while the students were in the Halloween feast. All students had been ushered to the Great Hall and given the necessary accommodation, so they could sleep that night.

Cassie was laying down in one of the sleeping bags, blinking slowly as she was awakened. For a moment, her blurry vision seemed to be all red, until she blinked again, and shapes started to form. A freckled nose and a pair of blue eyes were centimetres away from her face, a mischievous smile she knew well forming gradually on the equally freckled face.

"What..." She said drowsily, not fully registering what was happening. George Weasley laughed. "Geroff..."

He stood up, smiling broadly. Around them, everyone was either leaving the hall or tidying up their sleeping bags.

"C'mon sleeping beauty. It's time to go."

Cassie slowly stood up as well, gathering her things lazily. Her hair was a mess and she had eye boggers, but she was too tired to care. After all, sleeping in the ground of the Great Hall surrounded by many other students wasn't the ideal restful night.

"Where's Angelina?"

"Quidditch practice with Alicia." George shrugged. "Don't know why they were in such a hurry."

She nodded understandingly. No one knew about the huge crush Alicia had in their quidditch captain, but her and Angelina, and she planned on keeping it that way. It was funny at times, how they rushed to see Oliver Wood at any given opportunity, and Cassie and Angelina always liked to make fun of Alicia by imitating the faces she pulled when taking to the seventh-year.

A few feet from them, Fred was shaking Lee Jordan like a maraca, trying to wake him up as well. She and George watched laughing as their friend swore loudly and smacked the redheaded twin in the face.

"You're such idiots." Cassie laughed, and George arched his eyebrows.

"I'm not doing anything."

"Yet."

The boy punched her jokingly in the arm, and she returned it, initiating a fake punching duel as Lee chased Fred behind them. She felt happy and joyful, and, for the first time in months, a small ray of hope shone in her heart.

⁕⁕⁕

November brought a whole new subject for the students to talk about. Quidditch season was about to start, and the first match of the year was Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Everyone talked about it, and the houses' rivalry was stronger than ever. Cassie didn't really know much about quidditch, or the Quidditch Cup, but Angelina and Alicia had talked about it enough to make her comprehend some things. Apparently, Potter was the team's newest addition and had great potential as a seeker, but they hadn't managed to win the Cup the last few years, and Oliver wanted it desperately. So that's why the Gryffindor quidditch team practised every single evening, all the players focused on winning that match and not thinking about anything else or getting into trouble, seeing as it could risk their possibilities to play the game. All, except Fred and George.

"Remind me again why am I doing this?" Cassie's voice echoed in the otherwise empty corridor.

Both redheads motioned her to stay quiet and smirked.

"Because you're our dear friend." One of them whispered on her ear.

"And you love us." The other muttered. Cassie scowled, remembering how they had been pestering her all through dinner until she had agreed to help them retrieve whatever Filch had confiscated from them that time.

As they walked down the corridor, Filch's office came to sight. Cassie took the lead, wanting to get it over with, when a small shape hidden in the shadows stopped her. A cat. Mrs Norris, the caretaker's cat, that usually wasn't far from its owner. As she realized that, a dim light shone at the end of the hallway, followed by Filch's shape.

Panicking, Cassie looked at the twins to see what they could do... but they weren't there. Only she stood in the middle of the hall, completely exposed. She tried to take a few steps back, scared, and felt something looping around her waist and pulling her backwards through a tapestry. A shriek tried to escape her mouth, but was cut off by a hand, so she started to kick whoever was attacking her.

The captor held Cassie firmly, as she struggled to no avail, and cornered her against a stone wall, gripping her wrists tight and maintaining eye contact.

"It's me, Fred." He whispered, trying to shush her.

Cassie looked at him with a panicked look, not fully aware of her surroundings or what was happening. She felt like a trapped animal and continued resisting vigorously.

"Fred Weasley, release me right now or I'll scream." She said angrily. Her friend tried to calm her down without any success.

Seeing as she was opening her mouth to scream, the boy panicked as well and did the first thing that came to his mind to keep her from revealing their position.

Cassie froze when she felt the lips kissing her. For a moment, she didn't know what to do, and then tried to follow the kiss awkwardly. Fred seemed to be an expert in the subject, leading their mouths softly. When they finally pulled apart, Cassie sighed heavily, overwhelmed by everything that had just happened.

"Better if we don't tell anyone." He sighed as well, freeing her and leaning against the opposite wall.

The girl didn't say anything, still shocked, and jumped when the tapestry that hid the passageway opened suddenly, revealing George.

"It's clear." He announced in a low voice. "I got the box. We should head up now."

Both of them nodded and followed him silently, acting as if nothing had happened. However, Cassie didn't miss the small grin Fred sent her way.


	8. Seven

The halls were completely deserted, not even a ghost in sight. An eerie silence filled them instead; no footsteps, no student chatter or scolding from any Professor could be heard. Only a sound echoed in the distance, the sound of thousands of people cheering. And that could only mean one thing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first match of the year! Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff!"

Lee Jordan's voice boomed all through the quidditch pitch. Students cheered for their favourite team, divided in two sections: one wearing red and gold, and another with yellow and black. Cassie, sitting in a sea of red, shot a quick glance towards the Slytherin section, where their quidditch team was seated and cheering for Hufflepuff. They were supposed to be playing against Gryffindor at that very moment, but something had happened to their seeker and in the last minute they had cancelled their participation, making the lions play against Hufflepuff instead.

"And they're off! Johnson with the quaffle!" Jordan continued his commentary, and Cassie smiled. The heavy rain and strong wind made it almost impossible to distinguish one player from the other, but she could see some red blurs here and there.

"Spinnet scores!"

The Gryffindor crowd cheered loudly, Cassie with them. She knew that quidditch matches were more fun without all the bad weather, but she was having a good time despite it all. Next to her were some third years, the Weasleys' younger brother between them, and they spent the match commentating the team's plays and their chances of winning. It was quite entertaining.

However, a collection of yells quickly pulled them out of their amusement. It was difficult to see what was going on, but everyone could see clearly a human shape falling directly into the ground and being slowed down by Dumbledore.

"Harry!" Someone screamed in the crowd.

Everyone pushed their way out of the stands, trying to see what happened. Dementors were invading the quidditch pitch, to Cassie's horror, but were fended off by the Headmaster and some other teachers. Both teams were quickly retreating, but nobody missed Lee Jordan's commentary.

"Diggory caught the snitch, Hufflepuff wins the match!" His voice was filled with dread.

Cassie squinted and saw Diggory, the Hufflepuff captain, talking to Wood, and then both teams disappeared into the castle, presumably to see how the injured seeker was doing.

The dorm was empty when Cassie arrived. All her friends were at the Hospital Wing, so she had nothing to do other than homework. The fact that they all were part of the quidditch team sucked sometimes, although it allowed her to have some moments to herself or to study. It made her feel quite lonely, however, but she tried not to think about it that much. After all, she was bound to be lonely, with no family. Friendship was a new concept to the girl and felt quite confusing, because it made her think that they really didn't like the new girl hanging out with them all the time. Cassie understood this, since they already had their small clique before she arrived, but it didn't stop her from hating it.

On Sunday morning, Cassie decided to visit Potter at the Hospital Wing. She trailed behind the quidditch team and insisted on staying after they were gone. Once Harry's friends went to have lunch, she approached the seeker directly.

"Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush." She said, the words coming out a bit sharply. "I've been talking to Professor Lupin. He said you and I have things in common."

The thirteen-year-old stayed silent, his eyes wide open. Cassie sighed impatiently.

"Any ideas?"

Potter thought for a moment, and then spoke tentatively.

"A serial killer is apparently going after me." He said. "You think that may be it?"

She furrowed her brows.

"Sirius Black? I don't think..."

Harry looked like he was going to add something else but refrained himself. Still, Cassie picked up on that and pressured him. Anything that could lead to her father would be useful.

"Is there anything else?"

He stayed silent. A sliver of embarrassment could be seen in his bright green eyes.

"You can tell me anything. I know we aren't exactly friends... but I assure you nothing is leaving this room." The girl insisted, and the scarred boy finally caved.

"Fine. There's this... omen." Harry looked at her doubtfully and spoke in almost a whisper. "Do you know the Grim?" Cassie nodded. "I think I've seen it. Twice."

The redhead arched an eyebrow. An omen? That certainly didn't have anything to do with her or her father. She didn't believe in those things at all - hence why she hadn't picked Divination as an elective.

"That's not it." She sighed with frustration. "Forget all of this. I'm sorry. I hope you get well soon."

And with those words, the fifth year left the room, leaving a very confused Harry Potter behind.

On her way towards the Gryffindor tower, she bumped into the Weasley twins.

"Cass! What a wonderful surprise." They greeted, bowing playfully. Cassie smiled slightly.

"Hi."

She still hadn't talked with Fred about what had happened the other night. Her cheeks reddened at the thought, and she opted to study the twins' faces as to decide who was which one.

"Join us for lunch?" One of them, she thought he was George, asked. She looked at his twin, who had raised one eyebrow and sported a smirk in his face. Definitely, that was Fred.

"No, sorry." Cassie quickly excused herself, trying to walk past them. "Not hungry."

George shrugged and they disappeared from sight, making the girl heave a relieved sigh. Things could get really messy if he found out, and Cassie didn't want to end that friendship. Nor she wanted to start a relationship with Fred.

"Hey." A hand grabbed her arm, making her jump in surprise. It was Fred. "We kind of need to talk."

Cassie just looked at him, not knowing what to say.

"Listen." He started, his eyes serious for the first time since Cassie had known him. "I only kissed you to calm you down, alright?"

"I'm sorry." She felt her cheeks redden. "I panicked and didn't know what to do."

Fred grinned at her and scratched the back of his head.

"You haven't told anyone, right?"

"Not a soul."

"We should... forget about this whole thing."

"I agree." Cassie looked at him in the eye, something she wasn't used to do. Relief flooded his gaze, and she smiled ever-so-slightly.

As they parted ways, she heard him shout behind her:

"Good kissing, by the way!"

Cassie laughed and flipped him off. She felt ashamed for her actions, but seeing Fred being so nice to her, despite the awkwardness of the conversation, relieved her. In the back of her head, the small voice that had been spewing negative things over the past few days, became lower, although it remained there.


	9. Eight

Cassie was running through the halls, making people jump away from her. With one hand, she steadied the bag hanging from her shoulder; with the other she pushed the mop of red hair frantically away from her face. She had never been late for class in her life, mostly because she had always been home-schooled, and the adrenaline and nervousness that coursed through her veins was new to the girl.

She opened the door timidly, wishing she was invisible at that very moment. Or a ghost, so she could pass through the wall and such.

"Miss Moore, care to explain why the lateness?"

The stern voice of Professor McGonagall startled Cassie. She surveyed the room quickly, the fear of having entered the wrong class settling in her stomach.

"I-isn't this Defence..." She started to stutter, but McGonagall cut her off impatiently.

"Professor Lupin is not feeling well at the moment, so I'm taking over his class. Sit down, Miss Moore, and ten points from Gryffindor."

Feeling her face redden, Cassie scurried quickly to the first free seat she saw, which happened to be right next to the blonde girl she had met on the Hogwarts Express. 'Emily Crowe' was scribbled on the top of her green notebook. She knew the Crowes, or at least had heard stories about them. Very much like the Malfoys or the Notts, the Crowes were one of the Sacred Families; pureblood families that had never mixed with muggles or half-bloods in centuries.

Cassie had always been wary of everything related to blood status; her mother had been muggleborn and told her stories about bullies at Hogwarts. Surprisingly, not all of them were Slytherins.

"Cassie, right?" The Slytherin next to her whispered suddenly, half-startling the girl. She nodded. "Could we have a word after class?"

The red-headed girl nodded again, slowly. She was surprised by the blonde's petition but agreed nonetheless. After all, she didn't know many people, and it may benefit her having acquaintances from other houses, breaking the long tradition of hatred between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Even if she could hardly stand the train girl.

After a particularly hard class of Defence Against the Dark Arts, where McGonagall had given them tons of homework that surely no one would do, Cassie waited for the students to go before turning to Crowe, who was slowly clearing her things up. Two more Slytherin girls awaited at the door for her, but the Gryffindor didn't see them.

"Well, Moore, now that we are alone." The blonde started calmly, sitting on the table. "I've got a proposition for you."

"Do say."

"We." She signalled to her Slytherin friends. "Would like you to be our... colleague."

Cassie looked at the three of them, shocked. She discreetly pinched herself, given the surrealism of the situation. But it was real, and they were awaiting some response.

"Why?" She choked out, a part of her brain blasting an alarm.

"Well, because we find you and your lineage... interesting." Crowe responded, smirking. Cassie arched one eyebrow, suspicious. As far as she knew, she was the daughter of a muggleborn. But they could be referring to her father...

"What do you know about that?" She asked abruptly, meeting the other girl's brown eyes.

Crowe smirked broadly.

"Only theories... very plausible theories, at that."

Cassie went to ask more questions, but she was interrupted.

"However, there's something we need you to do."

Silence ensued, so the blonde continued.

"You have to stop talking to those blood-traitors you're friends with."

***

"And of course, I told her to bugger off."

Both Alicia and Angelina smiled, the latter clapping her in the back. Cassie felt her cheeks grow hot and looked down at the snow below her feet.

It was the weekend before holidays, only a week since Emily Crowe had tried to draw Cassie into her blood obsession, and she was telling her two friends while they went to Hogsmeade. Fred and George had stayed at the castle, claiming they had something important to do, and they would meet them for lunch.

"You did the right thing, Cass." Alicia said, fidgeting with her scarlet-coloured gloves. "You can never trust those sneaky bastards."

Angelina agreed enthusiastically, kicking a chunk of snow with her foot.

"Just forget about the whole thing." She advised, locking arms with the two girls. "If they bother you again, tell us and we'll make sure it's the last time they do it."

Cassie laughed.

"You're right girls. They're not worth my time."

"Not let's go and have a bloody hell of a time in Hogsmeade!" Alicia yelled, the three of them whooping.

The little village looked like a Christmas postcard. The roofs were covered in snow, which filled the streets as well, and some kids here and there sang carols for money. Hogwarts students were everywhere, clad in their thick robes and cloaks and going from shop to shop, a look of wonder in their eyes as they surveyed the bright window displays. Cassie had been in Hogsmeade before, with her mother, but it never ceased to amaze her.

The three Gryffindor girls went to Honeydukes first, the smell of candy and chocolate luring them into the warm store. After buying almost their weight in sweets, the next stop was Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop; and then some sports shop Cassie refused to enter. She liked watching quidditch all right, but playing _any_ kind of sport was too out there for her. Not to mention she had the coordination of a baby duck.

"I could do with a butterbeer." Angelina said at some point, getting the other two to agree with her.

It was almost lunchtime, so they went to The Three Broomsticks, where the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were waiting for them.

"Finally!"

"We thought you'd never come!"

The girls chuckled and sat down in the booth, ordering their food as soon as Rosmerta appeared notepad in hand. As they waited, Lee asked them about their plans for the holidays, Cassie sinking in her seat at the mention of holidays.

Both Angelina and Alice were going on trips with their parents, and the twins were going home with their family. Lee was also returning home. Cassie kept silent during the conversation, not really having thought about what she would do. Since the start of the term, she had had zero communication with her uncle, so she was likely to spend Christmas at Hogwarts, alone. It was kind of sad, but she was getting used to the loneliness.

Across from the table, Fred and George exchanged glances, not having missed the obvious discomfort of their friend.


	10. Nine

Aunt Rose's letter surprised Cassie the day before holidays. It came with a black owl and awaited an answer urgently.

_Dear Cassiopeia,_

Cassie scoffed at the sight of her full name. Her aunt had always called that, and she really disliked it.

_I was hoping you could come and spend Christmas break with us. It's been a while since we last saw each other. Evan and I miss you, and we hope you say yes. Please answer quickly._

_Love,_

_Rose L. Moore._

She frowned at the mention of Evan, her aunt's boyfriend. He was a decent enough man, but there was something about him that spooked the girl. Also, he always treated her like a child, which was unnerving.

Deep in thought about the sudden missive, Cassie didn't notice the two redheads sitting beside her until one of them poked her with a fork, making the girl yelp in surprise.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Cass-"

"Had to get you out of dreamland."

The girl scowled at their identical smirks, folding the letter. The twins' eyes followed the piece of parchment as it disappeared into her robes, but before they could say anything, they were interrupted.

"Fred, George!" The booming voice of Oliver Wood addressed them, almost making Cassie jump from her seat. "Quidditch practice in five minutes!"

The twins groaned, George glancing longingly at the eggs he had just poured in his plate.

"But it's Sunday!" Fred complained, but Wood wouldn't budge.

Cassie watched her friends leave the Great Hall reluctantly and sighed, unfolding the letter. She didn't like the thought of being alone at Hogwarts for the holidays, especially with Black so close, but she didn't like either the prospect of being with aunt Rose and Evan. Although she could try and seek some answers concerning her father...

Eventually, Cassie made up her mind. She would spend the holidays with her aunt.

***

The Gryffindor girl stood in front of a small country house. Around her, only grass. The muggle taxi she had taken was speeding off in the distance, soon disappearing among the trees that lined the path, probably in the direction of the small village at the other side of the forest. It was a nice place, she decided. Secluded, away from other people and peaceful. Ideal for wizards.

"Cassiopeia, dear!" Her aunt greeted her, opening the door after several knocks. "How was your trip?"

"Fine, thank you."

Cassie entered the house, taking everything in. It had been years since the last time she had set foot in there, and the place had changed quite a lot. There was a weird assortment of furniture, some muggle appliances mixed with obvious wizarding things. But it looked nice enough, like everything was where it should be.

The thirty-year-old woman led her towards one of the rooms in the second floor. It was plain and simple, with a bed, a wardrobe and a desk. She also showed her the bathroom and the rest of the rooms; there were a lot of room for only two people.

"Cup of tea?" Aunt Rose asked once they arrived at the kitchen. Cassie nodded.

"Where's Evan?" She asked, her voice merely a whisper. Rose arched one eyebrow.

"Thought you didn't like him. He's still at work."

The girl blushed, looking around her. There were family pictures hung on the walls, mostly of her grandparents and her mother. She didn't dare look at them for too long. It still hurt a lot to even think about her.

The rest of the evening went by slowly, Cassie and her aunt sipping tea in silence until Evan came. The man, who was in his middle thirties, was rather handsome, with his jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. He came from some pureblood family, but never made any comment that let it show, and was nice enough to Rose. Cassie shouldn't have had any motive to dislike him, but she did. There was just something that didn't seem right.

As the night fell, Cassie retreated to her new room, trying to avoid all the questions about her school year and her friends. She wasn't much of a talkative person usually, but with family she was even quieter. Only with her mother had she been her true self.

And boy, did she miss her.

The next morning greeted them with brisk winter wind. It had been snowing during the night, and the grass fields were covered in untouched snow. Cassie was still sleeping, snuggled in the comfortable mattress that shielded her from the cold. In the bedside table laid a wrinkled piece of parchment, with scribbles all over it. She had tried to write a letter, with little success.

The sound of banging pots and pans woke Cassie up. Her aunt was in the kitchen making breakfast, offering her eggs and bacon when she went downstairs, her red hair a mess and grey eyes sleepy.

"Slept well?" The woman asked, putting the dish in front of her. She nodded but didn't say a thing.

Cassie spent the morning doing the homework she had been assigned for the break. She also tried studying a little, since it was OWLS year and didn't want to risk anything. Her career plans were unclear, so the Gryffindor girl was trying to get as many OWLS as possible and then decide on something. Angelina and Alicia didn't know either what to do, and the interview they would had with Professor McGonagall in a few months didn't exactly lift their spirits.

After having an awkward lunch with her aunt and Evan, both adults went to have a walk around the fields, and Cassie was finally left alone. She went to the living room and turned on the television, watching it with mild interest. The movie that appeared on the screen was so boring that the girl almost fell asleep, until something caught her eye.

It was a leather-covered book, apparently normal, and it wouldn't have sparked her interest if it wasn't because it was among some CDs, clearly being put there in a rush. Tentatively, Cassie approached the strange item, which gave off a magical vibe, and her breathing hitched when she saw the words that were engraved in the cover.

_Diana Moore's photo album. Years 1971 to 1981._


	11. Ten

Going back to Hogwarts was a relief for Cassie. Christmas had passed by in a blur of small gifts, awkward carol-singing and exchanging letters back and forth with half of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. The leather photo album rested at the bottom of her trunk, since she hadn't found the right time to browse through it —or had the courage to even open the first page.

King's Cross was bustling with activity when the muggle taxi dropped the girl at the station doors. Platform nine and three-quarters was as crowded as it had been in September 1st, and Cassie wondered how many people had actually stayed at Hogwarts. Probably not a lot.

"Cass!"

Angelina Johnson's voice boomed through the station, the dark-skinned girl running through the crowd with her dreadlocks flowing behind. Cassie smiled and waved lightly, happy to see her friend. The holidays had made her revert to the state of mind she had been in during the summer, but once the redhead stepped foot in the magical platform, she felt a little bit more optimistic.

"Hi Angie."

While they carried their trunks into a compartment, both girls chatted idly about their holidays —mostly Angelina launching into a crazy story involving two French boys—, and reunited with an over-enthusiastic Alicia that had just arrived with her family.

"If we're like this after two weeks, I don't want to know how's it going to be in summer." Cassie laughed once they were in their compartment, the train slowly abandoning the station.

"We'll visit each other." Alicia assured, taking out a magazine from her backpack. "Have you read Rita Skeeter's last article on Lockhart?"

On the cover, the words _Witch Weekly_ were printed in bold, red letters. Cassie recognized the title from St. Mungo's waiting room. Her eyes had been fixated in the pile of magazines for hours on end, waiting for some doctor to bring the bad news. She felt a lump in her throat, and stinging around the corners of her eyes. Everything was suddenly blurred, and the girl stood up, legs threatening to give up.

"I-I've got to... bathroom..." She choked out, and left the compartment quickly, feeling about to puke.

The Gryffindor stumbled down the corridor and into the restroom, which was thankfully empty. She emptied her stomach in the nearest toilet and stayed there for a couple of minutes, gagging at the burning sensation in her throat and crying nonstop.

Cassie looked at herself in the mirror. Sixteen years old and her eyes held more sadness than any other teenager's. It was unfair, she thought while examining her pale cheeks with tears running down them, no one should go through that much pain so young. It was unfair. Diana Moore had her whole life ahead, she was only thirty-three when that bastard had run over her. Cassie only hoped that asshole would rot in jail.

The water splashing in her face knocked some sense into her again. Sure, the tears were still there, but at least her mind wasn't dizzy with memories of her mother anymore, one after the other. The teenager stayed there for a while, crying and hiccupping, trying to recompose herself. It really wasn't fair.

Sighing, Cassie left the restroom after half an hour. Angelina and Alicia hadn't come to check on her, but that wasn't a surprise. She knew she didn't matter to anybody.

"Hey, Cassie."

The unmistakable voice of Fred Weasley made her jump. Positioned on both sides of the door, were the twins.

"W-What...?" She tried to speak, stunned.

George smiled kindly at her.

"Angie and Alice told us, so we came to see if you needed anything." He explained. Cassie looked at them with wide eyes.

"I..."

"Shh, don't worry."

"Come with us."

Two hands guided her towards an empty compartment, where the three of them sat.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." George assured her.

Cassie smiled weakly, wiping away stray tears.

"Thank you."

She spent the rest of the trip in a compartment with the twins, Angelina, Alicia and Lee Jordan, listening to their conversation but not participating on it. The girl also didn't miss the worried glances her friends often sent her way, but she was too tired to deal with anything, and eventually fell asleep.

"Cass... Wake up, Cass."

George Weasley's voice interrupted her slumber. The sixteen-year-old slowly pried her eyes open, basking in the comforting look in his eyes. He smiled softly, a hand reaching out to pull the girl up from her seat.

"How are you feeling?"

Cassie shrugged, looking around. They were alone in the compartment, but she could spot Fred standing outside by the door.

"I don't know." She spoke, quietly.

George nodded, taking her backpack and carrying it for her.

"Let's go, Moore."

The cold air seemed to wake the girl up slightly, but she remained silent through the entire path towards the castle. When they reached the common room, Cassie hurried upstairs and sprinted into the shower, before any of her dormmates could spot the tears running down her cheeks again.

She pressed her head against the cool bathroom wall, red hair dripping wet and sticking to her neck and shoulders. Sobs filled the room, audible once she turned off the hot water.

_"Mommy I can't reach the apples!"_

_Giggles filled the small garden, where a woman in her early twenties and a girl about six years old collected apples from the tree situated in the middle of the patio._

_"Here, hop on my back."_

_Diana Moore lifted her daughter until she reached the fruit, smiling broadly._

_"Good job Cassie!" She praised the little girl, who had hair as red as hers. "Now, what's the next step?"_

_"Get the cooking recipe!" The kid grinned, showing the gaps between her teeth, and ran inside the small house._

_Diana laughed, a melodic sound that could lift even the sullenest spirit, and smoothed out her bright yellow sundress, entering the house right after her daughter._

Cassie sighed, her cheeks wet with tears and there was a salty flavour on her mouth. Making apple pie with her mother had always been her favourite activity since she was a toddler; they always ended up covered in flour and eating the whole pie in one sitting. The worn-out recipe was folded neatly at the bottom of Cassie's trunk, the edges curling from all the times she had read it after her mother's death, taking in the handwriting and crying over it, careful not to stain the parchment.

It was time to open the photo album.


	12. Eleven

Opening the photo album had been hard, but once she did it, Cassie couldn't stop looking at the pictures on it. They were from Diana Moore's school years, and she quickly recognized James and Lily Potter, thanks to the incredible resemblance Harry had with his father.

Her mother had been in Hufflepuff, and in most pictures she appeared hugging one or two friends Cassie recognized from the funeral. Where had all those people been during her childhood? She surely didn't remember her mother having any friends. It had always been the two of them, all her life.

The picture that surprised her the most was the one with her father. They hadn't married, but the love was clear in the moving image, where a man with black hair past his shoulders and a bright smile was twirling Diana around, her red hair flowing in the wind. Cassie spent a good amount of evenings looking at the picture, imagining the music, their laughs, and she life she could have had. If only her father hadn't disappeared...

Professor Lupin also appeared in some photos, being hugged by a much smaller Diana or smiling along with a chubby boy, Harry's dad and the dark-haired man. ' _My marauders_ ' was scribbled with her mother's calligraphy under that picture, along with a small smiley face. She would have to ask the teacher about that picture, Cassie decided. Maybe get some information about her dad, even though he had seemed reluctant to talk about him at the time.

All those photos and memories took a good amount of Cassie's time, and it didn't take long before her friends noticed that she was even more silent than usual and didn't spend as much time studying as before.

"We hardly see you anymore." Angelina complained one day during lunch, in late January.

Cassie shrugged, not looking up from her salad.

"I'm busy."

"Can't be from all that studying." Alicia remarked sarcastically, arching one eyebrow. The redhead girl glared at her.

"It is not any of your business." She retorted, standing up abruptly. "Leave me alone."  
And with those words, the angry Gryffindor stalked out of the Great Hall,

No one saw Cassie anymore that day. Angelina and Alicia soon grew worried about her behaviour, asking the twins for help. They were as worried as the girls and didn't hesitate in going looking for their friend when she didn't show up after curfew.

"You stay here. No one knows this castle better than us." Fred told the chasers, who nervously sat in the common room.

"We'll be back with her in no time." George guaranteed, smiling slightly.

"If Filch doesn't catch her before -ouch Angelina that hurt."

The hallways grew eerily quiet after curfew, no one but the occasional ghost or teacher strolling by. Fred and George quietly slithered through them, slipping into secret passages or behind suits of armour when necessary. In their hands was a folded piece of parchment, which they consulted once they were in a wide enough passage.

" _Lumos_."

"Did you ask Harry for it?"

"A simple _accio_ was enough."

George chuckled lightly and took to study the constellation of labels that adorned Hogwarts' map. Mostly everyone was in their common rooms, but Snape was walking down the corridor not far away and Filch was near the library. However, those weren't the dots that interested the twins that night.

'Cassiopeia Moore' was marked in the second floor, inside an abandoned classroom.

"Bingo." Fred whispered, smirking. George folded the Marauder's Map and put it into his pocket.

"How do we approach her?" He asked as they walked down the passage. His brother shrugged.

"I was thinking a 'hello Cassie, what in Merlin's pants is wrong with you' kind of approaching."

George playfully shoved him, sniggering.

"Maybe something more tactful."

"I don't know, you're the sensitive one."

Her tears had long dried when the twins arrived at the classroom. Cassie looked up, startled, when the door opened creaking, and relaxed when two identical heads peeked at her from there.

"May we enter?" Said the soft voice of George Weasley. She nodded, sitting down straight on the floor.

"How did you find me?" Her voice was hoarse, but no one acknowledged it.

"We have contacts." Fred smiled mysteriously, his twin mirroring him.

A comfortable silence settled between the three of them for a while, until George decided to break it.

"You have been worrying us, Cassie."

"I'm sorry."

"What's going on?" Fred inquired, trying to keep his demeanour calm as to not startle or scare the girl away.

"I-I'm sorry." Her lower lip trembled, and George felt a sudden wave of empathy for the girl.

"It's okay." He half-whispered, ignoring the surprised glance from his brother. "You don't have to tell us now."

"No. I... I want to tell you."

Her answer surprised them, but they smiled encouragingly nonetheless.

"My mother died last May."

The words echoed in the room, stunning the redheaded twins.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm so, so sorry Cass."

"We had no idea..."

Cassie lifted a hand, silencing them, and went on.

"It's okay. Hardly anyone knows. Only family and close friends were told." She hesitated. "I-I just found an old photo album of hers, and I've been too absorbed by the memories. I'm sorry if I haven't been the best friend lately."

Both Fred and George reassured her several times that it was alright, hugging their friend tightly. They stayed like that for a while, hugging each other warmly and just feeling comfortable in the darkness. Cassie hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time, like a weight had just disappeared from her shoulders.

"Thank you." She muttered, almost inaudibly.

George smiled, breathing the smell of her hair. It was a mixture of flowery shampoo and the girl's own smell, and he felt strangely at home. Like he could stay like that forever. _Anytime Cass, anytime_.


	13. Twelve

As the first week of February passed by, Cassie learned to slowly let go of the memories and started hanging out more with her friends. Fred and George had told the two chasers what had happened, with her permission, and they were doing everything they could to cheer her up; from silly pranks to unsuspecting students, to rides in their brooms after quidditch practices, where she became more involved with the quidditch team, who stopped knowing her as the quiet girl that sometimes hung around Angelina and Alicia. She and Katie Bell instantly hit it off, mostly because the blonde girl liked to talk for hours and Cassie was most comfortable listening.

The Ravenclaw vs Gryffindor match was drawing near, and with Harry Potter's new broom –a Firebolt!– everyone in Gryffindor was confident on winning. Seeing as her friends only talked about quidditch and brooms, Cassie started going more to the library as well whenever she got tired from all the sports talk, and she got up-to-date with her homework and studies, which she had foolishly neglected in the last month. After all, it was OWLs year; probably the most important year in Hogwarts, where her professional career would be chosen.

"You have to eat."

"I think I'm going to puke."

"No, you're not."

It was the morning of the match, and Cassie was sitting between Angelina and Alicia, who clutched their brooms nervously.

"Just one bite." The redhead hopelessly offered, to no avail.

There was a ruckus as none other than Harry Potter entered the Great Hall, his new Firebolt in hand and the boys of the quidditch team surrounding him. Cassie chuckled, watching the reactions of the Slytherins, and glanced at the magnificent broom when it was set in the middle of the Gryffindor table. She didn't really understand what was so great about quidditch, that everyone was so invested in it, but it was fun to feel the mood.

"Cheering for us today, Moore?"

The addressed girl smiled at the two pranksters that had approached her.

"Do I have any choice?" She joked, making them laugh. "Sadly, I had no time to make a banner."

"That's a pity."

"We were hoping to see the words 'marry me Weasley' in between the Gryffindor crowd."

Cassie laughed at Fred's words and punched him playfully, standing up from the bench and abandoning completely what was left of her breakfast.

"Now, if you excuse me, I'll go fetch my scarf. See you later!"

She tried to walk past them, but George grabbed her arm lightly, an indecisive look in his eyes. They stared at each other for a second, until he took off his scarf and put it around the girl's neck, smiling sheepishly.

"Thank you." Cassie beamed, wrapping the fabric around her even more.

George's smile broadened, his ears slightly red.

"Good one." Fred sniggered once she was gone. His brother shoved him.

"Shut up."

"Gryffindor is in possession of the quaffle, Katie Bell heading for the goal...!"

Lee Jordan's commentary could be heard all over the stadium. In the pitch, fourteen players soared the air with their brooms. Katie scored the first goal of the match and Cassie cheered loudly, along with her housemates. Next to her was Patricia Stimpson, holding up a banner with some of her friends that read 'Go Lions!', and she was screaming so loud she would be hoarse the next day.

One of the Weasley twins –Cassie couldn't see which one it was– flew close to the stands, bat in hand. A bludger appeared seemingly out of nowhere directly towards the crowd, and he expertly hit it in the direction of one of the Ravenclaw chasers. Cassie cheered, and smiled when he turned back and made a quick mock bow before speeding back into the game. She snuggled in the scarf around her neck, basking in the smell of gunpowder and slight cinnamon it emitted.

"-and that was a nice save by one of the Gryffindor beaters!" Lee commented happily. "Davies with the quaffle, aims for the goal, but Wood saves it! Good job Gryffindor!"

Everyone in the stadium followed the race between Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, and Harry Potter, in pursuit of the snitch. There were loud gasps when three Dementors invaded the pitch, looking directly at the Gryffindor seeker, but he wasn't affected by them and ended up catching the snitch.

The Gryffindors in the crowd roared, Cassie among them. She felt fuelled by adrenaline, something the girl had never experienced to that degree before. Watching a quidditch match in a bright and clear day was very different from the cloudy one in November, and she really loved every part of it.

Seeing as everyone was flooding into the field, the redhead abandoned all her shyness for the moment and followed them, hugging an ecstatic Angelina when the chaser landed.

"That was great!"

"I know!"

Alicia and Katie joined them, the four girls yelling excitedly and hugging each other. It felt as if they had already won the Cup.

"This calls for a party!" They heard Fred voice over the ruckus and cheered at his words.

"Gryffindor common room, now!" George shouted as well.

The party was the first one Cassie attended in Hogwarts, and she felt thrilled at how wild it was. Before her mother's death, she had been a loud, cheery girl who loved music and celebrations, and that day she felt as though that part of her personality had decided to come back. Along with her friends, the girl danced, screamed the lyrics of her favourite songs and drank butterbeer until well into the night.

"I can hardly recognize you!" Alicia shouted over the music, a butterbeer in one hand and a decapitated Chocolate Frog in the other. Cassie laughed loudly.

"Me too!" She shouted back, turning towards George, who was right behind her. "I forgot to give you your scarf!"

"No problem! I'll get it tomorrow!"

The two of them laughed again, the effects of too many butterbeers on them. Both George and Fred seemed a bit tipsy, and Cassie wondered just how many drinks they had had.

The radio, which had been bewitched to play a muggle programme, started emitting some chords from a song Cassie knew well from her childhood.

"Should I stay or should I go!" She screamed the lyrics, dancing to the melody. Everybody started dancing wildly, and she felt a hand on hers.

"May I have this dance?" George asked, trying to keep a serious face and failing spectacularly.

Cassie giggled and let herself be twirled by the taller redhead, moving her whole body to the rhythm. That definitely was the most fun she had had in months, and she internally thanked the universe for allowing her to meet such wonderful people. When the song ended they parted ways, George going to find his brother and she going to reunite with her friends, that were sprawled in the couches next to the fire.

"That was a nice dance." Angelina commented, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

Cassie laughed, opening her mouth to retort something clever, but was interrupted by Professor McGonagall entering through the portrait hole and sending them all to bed. Apparently, it was already one in the morning.

"Guess we'll have to go." Alicia yawned, standing up from the couch. "Goodnight Katie."  
The blonde girl bid them goodbye and they walked up the stairs to their dorm, where the other two girls were already tucking themselves in.

"Goodnight girls."

"Goodnight."


	14. Thirteen

Moonlight shone through the girl's dorm, creating a silver path between the four-posted beds. All of them had the curtains drawn, except for one, where a red-headed girl was staring at the moon through the window bars. She was wearing an old band t-shirt and some tartan pyjama pants -which in Alicia's opinion didn't count as a complete pyjama-, and was physically exhausted from all the emotions she had lived in one day.

However, Cassie was unable to sleep. Her mind was constantly remembering the events of that same day; the cheering, the joy at winning the match, then the party, dancing with the girls, dancing with George...

It was the 'dancing with George' part the one she thought most about.

Careful not to wake anyone up, she slipped from her bed onto the floor, going down the stairs in her socks as to no make any noise. The common room was deserted, dimly lit with the dying fire. Remnants of the party could be seen everywhere, and with a quick glance at the clock, she saw that it had only passed one hour since it had ended.

She navigated through empty butterbeers and sweet wrappers thrown on the floor until she reached her destination: the armchairs by the fire. Once there, the girl lied down in the largest one and stared at the ceiling, feeling comfortable hearing the crackling fire beside her.

A creaking sound startled Cassie not long after that. From her position by the fire, she could see the portrait hole opening. At first, she thought it may be Fred and George in one of their late-night adventures she had heard so much about, but the figure of a tall, dark-haired man vanished that idea from her mind. He was partially hidden in the shadows and paused for a moment in the entrance of the common room, almost like hesitating. Then, he started his way towards the boys' dormitories.

With a bravery she didn't know she possessed, Cassie leapt up from the couch, facing the scary man whose name had been heard through Hogwarts multiple times.

"Sirius Black."

The serial killer stared at her, perplexed. He surely didn't expect finding anyone at that hour of the night. Cassie could see he was holding a knife in his right hand, but that didn't deter. What kind of person was she becoming?

"Move."

His voice was raspy and low, and Cassie's stomach made a backflip. It reminded her of something, a memory buried in the depths of her brain.

"I-I won't let you kill my friends." She stated, trying to keep her voice steady and looking at Black in the eyes. A silvery colour returned her stare, a colour almost the same as hers.

"Only one person will die tonight."

Dramatic.

The girl didn't know what to do, and flinched when the fugitive stepped towards her. She mentally cursed herself for leaving her wand upstairs, in her night table. There was nothing she, a sixteen-year-old could do against Sirius Black with a knife.

She opened her mouth to scream. At least everyone would know, even if she died, that they were in danger. However, before a sound could be made, a large mass jumped out of nowhere and into her body, making her collapse into the ground and leaving the path free for Black to run upstairs towards the boys' dorms.

Cassie was fighting her attacker, which was none other than _Crookshanks_ , Hermione Granger's cat, when a loud scream could be heard from the dorms. Not even a second later, a black shape bolted through the common room and outside, the cat over her not allowing the girl to see what exactly it was.

"Sirius Black was here!"

"What's happening?"

"Black, I saw him!"

Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were the firsts ones to arrive at the common room. Cassie stood up, feeling nauseated, and looked at them. _Crookshanks_ was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you okay?" She hurriedly asked, studying the boys carefully.

They looked shaken, but fine. Students started pouring into the common room, sleepy but interested.

"Excellent, are we carrying on?" Cassie heard Fred ask.

Percy Weasley, the twins' older brother, was beyond angry, trying to get everyone to go back upstairs, and she looked at Ron trying to convince him that Sirius Black had been there indeed.

She felt dizzy. Everything had happened so fast, and her head was throbbing, and the world was spinning.

Before anyone could notice, Cassie dropped limply to the floor.

***

"It must've been a big shock..."

"How long has she been like this?"

"A couple hours."

Cassie woke up to people whispering around her. Her head throbbed a bit, and her memory was cloudy. When she opened her eyes, three figures were standing right next to where she lied.

Albus Dumbledore looked at her gravely through his spectacles. Next to him were Professor Lupin, with worry written all over his face, and Madame Pomfrey, holding a potion in her hand.

"How are you feeling?" The Headmaster asked kindly. Cassie closed her eyes briefly and sighed, opening them again.

"Tired."

"You should rest." Madame Pomfrey suggested, depositing the potion in the bedside table. "If your head hurts too much, drink this. It'll help."

Cassie nodded and the Healer left, leaving her alone with the Headmaster and Professor Lupin.

"Has Black been caught?" She asked, a lump forming in her throat. Lupin shook his head slowly.

"The Professors are looking for him."

"Remus, if you could leave us alone for a second." Dumbledore intervened.

The teacher nodded and left the infirmary, leaving the door partially open behind him. Cassie looked questioningly at the elderly man in front of her, who smiled amiably.

"It was very brave what you did tonight." He spoke. The student looked at him astonished.

How on Earth did he know?

"I award you ten points to Gryffindor."

Cassie was straight up stunned.

"B-But." She stammered. Dumbledore held up a hand, silencing her.

"Now, rest. Mr and Mr Weasley are quite worried about you and will probably be here at the break of dawn." He said, a twinkle in his eyes. "Goodnight, Miss Moore."

The infirmary door closed behind the Headmaster, and she was left completely alone. With a swarm of questions coursing through her mind, Cassie finally fell asleep, dreaming about dogs, cats and her mother.


	15. Fourteen

The month of March was a difficult month for fifth-year Hogwarts students. All the teachers were determined on finishing the important lessons before Easter, in order to spend the time until the OWLs revising everything the students had learnt since their first year.

Almost drowning in her studies, Cassie had managed to forget most of what had happened those past few months, including her mother's photo album, which rested at the bottom of her trunk with other personal items that she did not want to see every day. The quest to find her father had stopped momentarily, mostly because the next step would be to ask Professor Lupin and the teacher wasn't too receptive to her questions. She had also tried to dig something up at old registers in the library in between study breaks, but nothing had resulted of it. Neither her mother or father seemed to have been outstanding students or part of some school club.

"At this rate, I think I'm going to drown myself in the Black Lake before May."

"Don't be dramatic."

"But I'm dying!"

Cassie shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, as Alicia whined with her head on the table. They were at the library, finishing an essay Snape had just set that same morning. It was the first day after the holidays -which hadn't been so much of a holiday and more like an intense study session only lifted when the twins decided to celebrate their birthday with a huge party in the common room-, and Snape and McGonagall had already drowned them in essays, reports and transfigurations to study and practise.

Alicia seemed suddenly distracted, and Cassie followed her gaze towards a burly boy they knew well. He was in the sports section, browsing through quidditch books, no doubt looking for new plays to win the next match.

"You should talk to him."

Angelina's voice took them by surprise. The dark-skinned girl had sneaked up on them and was setting her books on the table, not at all prepared to confront the pain that was the Potions essay.

"About what?" Alicia retorted, still glancing at the Quidditch Captain. "The only thing we've ever talked about is quidditch."

"Then talk about that." Cassie shrugged, turning back to her parchment. "It may lead to other things."

Alicia sighed and turned to her friends, an uncertain look in her face.

"There's Hogsmeade in two weeks. Ask him out." Angelina bluntly suggested.

Her friend looked at her in shock and then at Cassie, who just shrugged again, the tiniest smirk in her face.

"You're joking, right?"

"Oliver!"

The half-whisper was enough to attract the boy's attention, who closed the book he was holding and walked towards them.

"Hey girls, what's up?"

Cassie and Angelina smiled innocently at him while Alicia turned as red as a tomato. They winked at her and quickly gathered all their books and quills, leaving the chaser alone with her crush.

"You think that will work?" Cassie wondered, unable to control the giggling. Angelina smirked.

"I'm sure of it."

As they rounded a corner, the grinning faces of their favourite twins came into view, each holding a suspicious-looking bag.

"Hello ladies." They chorused. Angelina looked at them sceptically.

"Shouldn't you two be on detention?"

Their grins grew wider.

"There may have been a small explosion near the Slytherin common room..." Fred started.

"... and Snape may have gone to see what it was about..." George continued. Cassie snorted.

"...and he may or may not have found himself covered with slime."

As Cassie continued laughing at the twin's prank, Angelina arched one eyebrow, amused.

"And he doesn't know it was you?" She inquired.

The twins looked beyond proud of themselves.

"He had no way of proving it was us. We were with him the whole time." Fred explained. "It was foolproof."

"But then, who...?" Cassie started, but a voice cut her off before she could finish.

"Guys! I made it!"

It was Lee Jordan, running wildly from the end of the corridor.

"Of course it was him."

Angelina looked impressed at their scheming, and Cassie didn't miss the look Fred threw in her direction. He so liked her.

The five friends marched to their common room after that, discussing the next quidditch match, which was only five days away. It was the Quidditch Cup final, Gryffindor vs Slytherin, and everyone was excited for it. The twins were hectic, running around and pranking everyone, and, while Angelina, Cassie and Alicia liked to laugh at their jokes, they were also slightly concerned for them and their OWLs.

Alicia joined them not long after that, her face bright red and a rather large book in her arms. Angelina and Cassie quickly ditched the twins and Lee, who were skimming over a Charms book in search for new prank ideas, and dragged their friend to the girls' dorms.

"He only talked about quidditch." Alicia sighed, placing the book in the mattress. "I even checked out this book to pretend I'm studying tactics like he suggested in the last practice."

The girls' expressions quickly changed from expectation to understanding, Cassie placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I'm sure it's only because of the final." She assured her.

"Maybe if we win he'll be happy and make a move." Angelina added, winking.

Alicia shrugged.

"Maybe. Or maybe he doesn't like me at all."

"Come on, don't say that." Cassie tried. "Did you ask him to Hogsmeade?"

"No... but maybe I will after the match."

"That's the spirit!"

They spent the rest of the evening in the common room, finishing the homework they still had among the twins' jokes, trying to cheer Alicia up. They were the best at it, making silly impressions of Snape covered in slime and copying his shriek of surprise until they made her laugh. Even though they didn't know what was wrong with her, they still did their best to keep everyone happy, and Cassie couldn't help but think that she was very lucky to have the friends she had.


	16. Fifteen

Before arriving to Hogwarts, Cassie had never understood the excitement and competitivity that quidditch ensued, even if she had been to some matches with her mother before. However, now that she had a house and friends to root for, she was as excited as anyone for the Quidditch Cup final. Despite the warm weather, she wore George's Gryffindor scarf -which she'd have to return sooner or later- and held a banner as well, proud to support her house.

"I wonder who that scarf is from?" Angelina smirked as Cassie sat in the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

"Shut up." She lightly swatted her in the shoulder, grinning. "Nervous?"

Angelina shrugged, her gaze wandering off to where Alicia and Wood were discussing last-minute quidditch tactics.

"A little. This is very important to all of us, as a team."

Cassie nodded in understanding. Before she could say anything more, she felt a presence beside her and a hand reaching for the only strip of bacon left in her plate, which she smacked.

"George!"

"Ow!"

The three of them laughed, and Cassie turned so that she could see the redhead fully. Next to Angelina was Fred, holding his broom and grinning at his brother. All three players seemed to be pretty nervous, probably because it was the most important match of the season, and Cassie felt nervous too. Something in the depths of her stomach churned, but she paid no attention to it.

The team was ushered out of the Great Hall by their captain and Cassie was left alone, munching on her bacon thoughtfully. Over the Slytherin table she could see Crowe clad in her quidditch robes with her friends, laughing nastily at something one of them had said. There was no doubt the Slytherin team would try to play as dirty as possible, and Cassie shuddered at the thought of Crowe hurting her friends in any way.

Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore, and left the table without further ado. The day was clear and warm, and she felt like taking off her scarf. But it smelt of George slightly, so she kept it.

As Madam Hooch whistled to signal the start of the game, fourteen brooms rose into the air, the crowd roaring wildly. Three quarters of it were covered in scarlet and gold, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw supporting the lions, while Slytherins booed at the Gryffindors, clad in green and silver robes.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinner of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no — Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field — WHAM! — nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by — Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina — nice swerve around Montague — duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger! – SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Cassie cheered loudly as Angelina fist-bumped the air, but suddenly, a tingling sensation filled her body. She started to get dizzy, and her breathing was shallow. She knew what was going to happen, and that only fuelled the fear.

Pushing aside everyone, Cassie run out of the stands and into the castle grounds, collapsing just under a tree. Her blood felt like ice and her heart was pounding against her chest. The usual string of thoughts overflowed her brain, _I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die_.

Sobbing, she curled into a ball on the floor, whishing it all would just go away.

*******

She wasn't found until well into the afternoon. Still curled into a ball on the floor, Cassie hadn't found the will to move at all in the many hours she had stayed there. She had had panic attacks before, but she'd never become used to the sudden feeling of fear overwhelming her. At least that time she hadn't thrown up.

Hurried steps coming in her direction alerted Cassie and she quickly tried to compose herself. Her face was dry from all the tears she had shed over the day, but her body wasn't shaking anymore. She prepared herself for the excuse she'd give to whoever had found her, but when she looked up, there was only a black dog there, a rare intensity in its gaze.

Slowly, the dog stepped towards the girl, and nudged her with its muzzle in an almost comforting way. It had black, mangy fur, and looked like it was a stray dog that had lived in the streets for a while. However, it wasn't aggressive, but rather stayed there for a while, comforting her.

The sun was close to setting when the animal fled, and Cassie looked up as a set of footsteps could be heard. Her dry eyes travelled all the way up from a pair of black sneakers she knew well, passed by a dishevelled shirt and a Gryffindor tie and landed in a blue gaze that stared down at her. Relief and worry both swirled in the cobalt irises, making the girl shiver slightly.

A hand appeared in front of her face, and she gladly took it and let George hoist her up, dusting off her pleated skirt.

"I'm glad I found you." He said. His voice was quite raspy, and Cassie felt guilty for having worried him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. George's hand was still holding hers; it felt warm and comfortable.

"Don't be." The answer came.

Incapable of holding up much longer, Cassie threw herself forward, enveloping the surprised boy in a hug and resting her head in his chest. He recovered quickly and put his arms around her, holding the sobbing redhead for a while, caressing her red hair and wishing he could do more for her.


	17. Sixteen

Sighing, Cassie jotted down yet another Spanish word for 'magic'. That language had too many synonyms, she thought. The dusty book she'd taken from the library was really helping her with the learning of a new language.

Thanks to the twins and their clever ideas, the redhead had found a new passion after days of laying in bed without the desire to do anything. The aftermath of panic attacks was always like that, Cassie knew it well, and there was nothing she could do to fight it, or so she thought.

When George had first shoved the Spanish book in her hands she scoffed, thinking it wouldn't actually help her. However, after a few days of skimming over it, the girl was absolutely smitten with the language, and had taken the habit of carrying it everywhere with her, along with a small notepad with endless lists of vocabulary and grammar tips.

"How would these words be pronounced?" She wondered out loud, the tip of the black quill resting on her lips.

Her dormmate's cat, named Charlie, meowed loud from the bed it laid down on. Cassie glanced at it, watching as the animal licked its black fur clean. They were the only ones in the dorm; everyone else was either on the common room or by the Black Lake, enjoying the warm summer days. The morning sun that filtered through the windows was enough for her, it warmed up the room and created a nice and relaxed atmosphere that she really enjoyed.

"You wouldn't know, would you?" She sighed again, lowering the quill. " _El... gato... está... en la cama_."

As the girl spoke out loud, the words were scribbled in the parchment with dark blue ink, the English translation being written down right next to them.

"God, I hope this is right."

Charlie meowed again, almost like it agreed with her.

"I know." Cassie smiled, closing the notepad. "I should be studying. And I'm talking to a cat. Could life get any better?"

Her tone was sarcastic, but her eyes held a hint of sadness. Just as she laid down on her untidy sheets, the dorm door opened, a dark skinned face peeking through the crack.

"Shouldn't you be studying?"

Cassie groaned and threw a cushion at Angelina, who just laughed.

"Shut up."

"Okay, okay." The brunette entered the room completely, her bag slung over her shoulder. "Alicia and I are going to the library for last-minute revising, thought you'd want to come."

Shrugging, the red-headed girl dragged herself out of the bed, picking her bookbag on the way to the door. Her hair was pulled in a messy ponytail and her clothes were wrinkled, but she didn't really care. OWLs week was really getting to her.

"Thank God we only have Charms left." Angelina sighed as they descended the stairs. Cassie hummed in agreement.

"I'm going to nap for a month straight after this."

They chuckled lightly as they crossed the common room towards Alicia, who was sitting by the fire reading a magazine. Cassie arched one eyebrow at the sight of Fred and George sitting on a table studying, and Angelina smirked.

"I talked them into it... Their mother would be furious if they didn't get at least two OWLs."

Cassie glanced at them again, noticing George's eyebrows furrowing with concentration. They hadn't spoken much since the day of the match but, somehow, he'd been there for her, comforting her silently in the endless sleepless nights that they spent in the common room, watching the fire die slowly as the moon watched them.

The morning went by uneventfully. After lunch, they had their written Charms exam, having done the practical part the day before. Cassie wasn't worried about it; she was rather good at Charms and Transfiguration, unlike Herbology, where she didn't know what to do half of the time.

As they strutted out of their last exam, Cassie felt a heavy weight lifting from her shoulders. She was confident she'd done well, and, while her classmates shared their answers and debated whether they were right or wrong, the redhead stepped out into the castle grounds and laid down on the cool grass next to the lake, taking her long-due nap.

A pleasant breeze caressed her face as she woke up. The sky was no longer clear and blue, but had the pink and orange colours that usually showed when the sun was setting. The air had also grown slightly cold, tracing goose bumps along her naked arms and legs.

Slowly, Cassie started incorporating, her vision less blurry but her head still a bit fuzzed. Right next to her was someone, she noticed. His mop of fiery red hair gave him away, and she smiled at him when he turned around. They stayed silent for a while, smiling at each other and looking at the lake, where Lee and Fred tried hitting the Giant Squid with stones they found on the shore.

"Here, have this." George spoke suddenly, having noticed the goose bumps in Cassie's arms. He took off his worn out jacket and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders.

She flashed him a smile, snuggling in the warm piece of clothing.

"We should go." Fred announced, appearing next to them, Lee trailing behind.

"Dinner's about to start." The dark-haired boy said with a grin.

George nodded, grinning as well, and helped Cassie to her feet after he stood up himself. She was about to join on their lively conversation with a quiet laugh, when a pair of glinting eyes caught her attention.

"I'll catch up with you later." She said absent-mindedly, her gaze stuck on the black, shaggy dog that looked directly at her from the edge of the forest.

Ignoring her friends protests, Cassie strode towards the cluster of trees, following the wagging tail that disappeared between the looming trunks. The sun continued to lower into the horizon, and soon it would be dark, but she didn't care about it for the moment. That dog wasn't an ordinary dog, and somehow she felt that all the mystery surrounding her had something to do with it. Curiosity got the best of her, as well as desire to finally _understand_ something, and the redhead submerged deeper into the woods, running after the animal.

Screams were heard close by, making Cassie run in the direction of them. She was tired and slightly sweaty, but only stopped when her body collided with another, sending the two of them to the ground.

"What the...?"

"Cassiopeia?"

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger stood before her, the latter raising from the ground and trying to flick the dirt out of her jeans. Cassie gaped at them, dumbfounded. Her breath came out in heavy gasps and her side ached from all the running, but she pulled herself off the ground and stared at the two distressed thirteen-year-olds with curiosity.

"What's going on?"

They exchanged glances before starting talking hurriedly over one another. She only got the words 'Ron', 'taken' and 'dog', but they were enough to understand what was going on. Harry then whispered the light incantation, showing them where they were, just on time for a huge branch to whip forward and hit the three of them hard, throwing them to the floor again.

A sharp pain shot through her head, making her groan loudly. Spots clouded her vision, and then everything went black.

***

Cassie blinked, trying to erase the blurriness that covered her eyes. She blinked again, and one more time. Above her was a wooden ceiling, covered in cobwebs and dirt. Moaning, she slowly rose from the bed she was laid down in, and took a moment to observe her surroundings.

The room was straight up filthy, filled with almost destroyed furniture and made entirely of wooden planks. It was dimly lighted, and five shadows stood in the place, silent. She then realized they were looking at her, two of them slightly stunned.

"Professor Lupin?"

The teacher smiled sheepishly at her from the corner he was at. Next to her was a man quite familiar to Cassie; black long hair that framed his sunken face, along with ratty robes and a mad glint to his eyes.

"Sirius Black?!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing beside her, looking borderline hysteric. Cassie watched the scene develop, astonished at the weird assortment of people in an even weirder place. Rising up from the bed completely, the girl drew her wand out. She looked warily at Black, who looked like he had seen a ghost. The ex-convict stepped towards her, and she raised up her wand menacingly.

"Cassiopeia..."

His voice was croaky and low, but the emotion was tangible in it. Everybody was still, looing at the scene that developed in front of them.

Harry and Ron started arguing about something with Professor Lupin, something about rats, but Cassie did not care about that. Her mind only paid attention to one thing: the man that was walking slowly in her direction.

"H-How...?" She stammered and trailed off, her eyes locking with the grey irises filled with emotion.

Black finally caught up to her, standing before the girl but not knowing what to do, or say. Cassie felt the same, a strange sense of familiarity flooding her body as she lowered her wand.

"How's Diana?" He finally said, his voice creaking. The girl's eyes filled with tears then, her lower lip trembling.

"She died."

"Sirius, I need you!" The voice of Professor Lupin interjected then, breaking the moment.

He turned around, his eyes wet and shiny, and nodded at his friend. Then, both of them pointed their wands at a squeaking rat, and a man appeared out of nowhere, startling Cassie. She really hadn't been expecting that.

Her heart pounded heavily as she watched the six of them yell back and forth about things she didn't understand. Everything was so overwhelming, and she couldn't take it anymore.

She ran towards the door, leaving everyone behind. There was a passage, and she blindly followed it until the trapdoor came into sight and then Hogwarts' grounds. After that, the girl ran to the castle gates, sneaking in and running all the way up to the Gryffindor tower. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, disabling all rational thoughts and fixating her brain in only one objective: running.


	18. Epilogue

"You've been awfully quiet all day. Are you okay?"

Alicia's voice rang through the dorm, making two of the three other girls turn. The addressee was sitting on her bed, stroking absent-mindedly Charlie's fur while looking out of the window. Dark bags piled under her eyes, but she didn't seem to mind.

Seeing as her friend didn't show any signs of even hearing her question, the brunette sighed loudly, setting yet another shirt in her neatly packed trunk.

"Don't bother." Angelina said in a low voice, side-eyeing the redhead. "She's been like that for a few days now. Not even Fred and George have managed to get a word out of her."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she glanced at her friend again. Their other dormmate, Patricia Stimpson, butted in then, a curious expression plastered in her face as well.

"I saw her talking to Harry Potter this morning." She commented in a quiet voice. "She looked stressed."

Both Angelina and Alicia opened their mouths in surprise. Since when Cassie had any kind of relationship with Harry, aside from quidditch practices?

Suddenly, the red-headed girl stood up, leaving the cat softly onto her mattress. She looked hesitant for a second, and then picked up her things and started throwing them messily into her trunk. The three other girls watched with curiosity and then returned to their activities, a tense silence filling the dorm.

The Hogwarts Express left a few hours later, filled with ecstatic students that chatted excitedly about their marks and the summer holidays. Angelina, Alicia, Fred, George, Lee and Cassie all shared a compartment near the end of the train, five of them playing exploding snap while Cassie stared out of the window. Every once in a while, one of them would glance at her worryingly, but she didn't show any signs of noticing it.

The train clattering, the sounds of her friends yelling and cheering and the hum of the air as the vehicle sped through the tracks seemed to not affect the girl at all, her face blank until a bird smacked into the window.

It carried two letters, dropping one on the redhead's lap and flying away with the other. Her friends watched intently as she opened it carefully, her eyes tracing along the handwriting.

A small sound erupted from her throat, and everyone gasped in surprise at the huge grin that made its way across the previously emotionless features as she traced with her finger the last three words of the letter.

_Your father, Sirius._


	19. Post-credits scene

"Watch your step, Moore."

The shrill voice of Emily Crowe startled her. She'd been so immersed in her own thoughts that hadn't really paid attention to who she passed by on the way to the train toilet.

Cassie stared at the Slytherin girl for a few seconds in distaste, taking in her sharp features that contorted into a scowl before shooting back an answer-

"Maybe you should be watching yours."

Crowe almost looked affronted, until her gaze landed on the writing that covered the parchment that she was holding. Her scowl turned into a nasty smirk when she noticed the signature.

"I wondered how long it'd take for you to figure it out." She hissed with delight.

"You knew all the time." Cassie said angrily, it came more like a statement than a question.

"Don't worry, _Black_ , it'll be our little secret." Crowe still wore the smirk, although it was beginning to look like a sneer. "Maybe you and I aren't so different, after all?"

"Bugger off, Crowe." The redhead retorted, fed up with the girl's antics.

The Slytherin scoffed and went to pass by her, bumping slightly in her shoulder while doing so and turning only one last time to have the final word, with a warning undertone to her voice.

"Just think about it... when the time comes, you'll want to be on the right side."


End file.
